April – A military tournament and horse show stage at the Amouries during a week in April [2] p80

May 23-26 – Visited Camp Niagara. Each man contributed $2.50 [2]p80

1902

Rev E.C. Cayley succeeds Rev G. E. Lloyd as chaplain [2] p81

April 30 – Regiment holds training and plans for trip to London.

From Toronto Globe and Mail, 01 May 1902

July 7 – Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pellatt, the King Edward VII Coronation contingent including the Queen’s Own Rifles Band, is under canvas at Alexander Park, London.

The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Bugle Band, 1902 on the steps of Alexandra Palace, London, England. They were present for the coronation of King Edward VII. (04299)

May 24 – London, Ontario was visited by the Regiment [2] p81

June 23 – Toronto streetcar employees go on strike and regiment is called out in aid to civil power. Strike ends at 9pm without incident [2] p81

1903

May 24 – Queen’s Own and 13th Battalion of Hamilton visit Brantford for the unveiling of a local South African War memorial [2] p82

May 24 – General Order No. 24 officially named the Toronto Brigade as consisting of The Queen’s Own Rifles, the Royal Grenadiers and the 48th Highlanders [2] p82

September 29 – A detachment of 70 men and 3 officers under (then) Major Malcolm Mercer and also troops from the Royal Grenadiers and the 48th Highlanders, travels to Sault Ste Marie to quell potential riots of employees of the Consolidated Lake Superior Company who had not been paid [2] p82

October 2 – Detachment arrives home from Sault Ste Marie [2] p82

1904

October 24 – The regiment parade for a trip to Buffalo as guest of the 74th Regiment of the National Guard, with a strength of 716 [2] p82

1905

Average attendance at Spring drills was 703 [2] p82

74th Regiment visits Toronto, camps at Garrison Common and on Sunday attended service at St James Cathedral [2] p82

1906

April 26 – 890 strong regiment departs for New York City on two special trains to visit the 12th Regiment of New York and participate in a military tournament held at Madison Square Gardens [2] p83

February 4 – QOR Chapter, Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire was formed. [2] p84

April 1 – Regimental Order No. 3 authorized the formation of a machine gun (Maxim) detachment, maximum 25 all ranks, and signal corps of the same size. The regiment already had a Pioneer Section and a Stretcher Bearer Section. [2] p84

August 29 – A further 4 officers and 252 men followed to Valcartier [2] p108

September 2 – 3rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force created under Camp Order 241

RMS Tunisian on which the 3rd Infantry Battalion, CEF traveled to England in September/October 1914

September 25 – 3rd Battalion embarked at Quebec aboard RMS TUNISIAN with 42 officers and 1123 other ranks. One man fell overboard and another was operated on unnecessarily for appendicitis.

October 16 – 3rd Battalion disembarks in England

November 4 – Royal Inspection by King George V and Queen Mary, accompanied by Field Marshal Lord Roberts (who was Honorary Colonel of the Queen’s Own Rifles at the time) and Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, Mercer recorded their comments in his diary: “No finer physique in the British Army. A fine brigade. Splendid.”

September – 3rd Battalion Band formed: its composite air was `The March of the Buffs’, `British Grenadiers’ and `Men of Harlech’.

1916

June 2/3 – Major General Malcolm S. Mercer is killed while on reconnaissance mission in the front lines near Mount Sorrel. He becomes the highest ranking Canadian soldier ever killed in action to this day.

August to October – 3rd Battalion in Battle of the Somme. Casualties: 27 officers and 682 men [2] p120

October – Lieutenant Colonel William Donald Allan taken ill as a result of an old wound and is invalided to England where he died October 1st. Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Rogers, MC (QOR) takes over command of the 3rd Battalion. [2] p120

November 6 – 3rd Battalion launches a successful attack at Passchendaele. A Company is led by CSM Williams when all the officers are killed. Corporal Colin Barron of D Company will be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in this operation. Casualties: 9 officers and 254 other ranks [2] p121

August 30 – 3rd Battalion attack on Vis-en-Artois and then on September 2 on Procourt-Quéant Line. Casualties from both actions: 18 officers and 334 other ranks [2] p122

September 27 – 3rd Battalion takes part in Battle of Cambrai achieving its objectives and capturing 28 heavy guns. Captain G. F. Kerr will be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions. Casualties: 11 officers and 183 other ranks [2] p123

November 11 – Armistice comes into effect at 11:00 am while the 3rd Battalion is resting at Montigny [2] p123

November 13 – 3rd Battalion under major D.H.C. Mason commences the 250 mile march to the Rhine. [2] p123

December 4 – 3rd Battalion enters Germany [2] p123

December 9 – 3rd Battalion advance party reaches the Rhine River [2] p123

December 13 – 3rd Battalion (with the rest of the 1st Division) crosses the Rhine and is billeted in the Wahn Dynamite factory, 10 miles south east of Cologne [2] p123

1919

Early January – Week Mess luncheons were started in order that returning QOR officers might meet and renew acquaintance.

January 10 – 3rd Battalion entrains for Belgium where they remain for two more months [2] p123

March 18 – 3rd Battalion entrained for Le Havre, France [2] p123

War artist Arthur Lismer captured the return of the troopship SS Olympic (centre) a sister ship to the titanic, to Halifax harbour following the First World War. Olympic’s multi-coloured dazzle camouflage, added in 1917 at the height of the German U-Boat threat, was intended to make the ship more difficult to identify and target.

March 22 – 3rd Battalion arrives in England and returns to the Bramshott camp and eight days leave granted to everyone [2] p123

April 14 – Again under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Rogers, CMG, SDO, MC, the 3rd Battalion embarks on the SS Olympic (sister ship to the Titanic) [2] p123 [See the National Film Boards video clip of Canadian Troops, which would have included the 3rd Battalion, and the SS Olympic]

April 21 – 3rd Battalion arrives back in Halifax, Canada and boards trains head west

April 23 – 31 officers and 694 other ranks of the 3rd Battalion arrive in Toronto to crowds of welcoming family, friends and neighbours to be officially demobilized. Those returnees included only 2 original officers, 6 officers who had been in the ranks at the start of the war, and 32 original other ranks. [2] p123

April 29 – The QOR Chapter of the IODE (Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire) gave a ball a the King Edward Hotel to honour returning officers [2] p125

October 10 – A smoker was held in the Armouries at which some thousand
attended. The bands, which throughout [WWI] had kept their organization
intact, played at this affair [2] p125

1920

February 18 – So well entrenched did this rumour become [that the QOR would be subsumed by the 3rd Toronto Regiment] that a meeting was held at Casa Loma, presided over by Sir Henry Pellatt. This meeting was attended by The Queen’s Own officers and by ex-3rd Battalion and other Canadian Expeditionary Force unit officers who remained loyal to the old regiment. A brief was prepared on the matter and forwarded to General Sir Arthur Currie. [2] p126

May 1 – General Order 66 reorganized the Canadian militia. The Queen’s Own Rifles would continue as a regiment but dropped the “2nd Toronto” from their name [2] p126

September 15 – 3rd Canadian Infantry Battalion formally disbanded by General Order 149/20

April 16 – In the presence of a large crowd and many notable Canadians, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the University Armouries by the Prime Minster, the Right Honourable Aurthur Meighan. (With the demolition of the armouries, the plaque was later moved to the Moss Park Armouries) [2] p126/7

November 11 – The Remembrance Day parade includes 2, 763 QOR and ex-QOR participants [2] p127/8